


Out of the Ashes

by ssa_archivist



Category: Smallville
Genre: Established Relationship, Futurefic, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-06-07
Updated: 2006-06-07
Packaged: 2017-11-01 08:21:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/354322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ssa_archivist/pseuds/ssa_archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Metropolis mourns two of her most outstanding citizens.  However, they might have planned the service a BIT too soon.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Out of the Ashes

## Out of the Ashes

by Magdelena

<http://members.cox.net/magdelena1969>

* * *

_Summary_ : Metropolis mourns two of her most outstanding citizens. However, they might have planned the service a BIT too soon. 

_Challenge_ : Written for the 16th wave of the Clark/Lex Fic Festival (CLFF), hosted at <http://www.kardasi.com/ClexFest/storyindex.htm>. This round is the 'Grumpy Old Clex' challenge, and my prompt was... 'It's Age before Beauty, but what if you're both?' 

_Disclaimer_ : I do not own any of the characters herein (only the plot). The characters of Clark Kent, Superman and Lex Luthor are the property of their creators and DC Comics. Smallville is owned by Gough/Millar Inc and the WB Network TV. I am publishing my fanfiction writings only for my own selfish desire to be a part of their world and receive nothing but fuzzy, warm feelings in return. 

_Author's Note_ : Thanks to Sev1970 and The Clex Factor for betaing for me!! You guys are awesome. 

* * *

"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust..." 

The words of the minister's final blessing were carried away on the cold December wind as it gusted through the cemetery, scattering dirt and leaves around the twin mahogany coffins that were even now being slid into the ornate sepulcher. Two of Metropolis' most prominent citizens were being buried today, and most of the city, not to mention the majority of the township of Smallville, had turned out to witness the unexpected and tragic event. 

Initially, the remarkable courtship between the unusual couple that were being buried today had been awash with speculation and gossip. Had the elder of the two seduced his young, impressionable, farm-raised partner before he was of age? Had the younger of the two prostituted himself to his elder partner for want of the fame, prestige, and riches that went along with the other man's name? 

It hadn't taken long for people to lose their preconceived notions. The two young men had ignored the conjecture about their relationship, proving every one of their detractors wrong with their successes in both their personal and professional lives. The elder partner had continued to prove his business acumen by leading both his own fledgling company, as well as his family company, into the Fortune 500. The younger man set out to, and succeeded in, making a name for himself in newsprint journalism, two of his stories even earning him Pulitzer prizes. Meanwhile, the fifty-two year marriage between the two men being entombed today had evolved into a model for how spouses should treat one another. 

Eventually, the pair even availed themselves of the latest in cutting-edge technology, developed by the elder man's company, and with the help of a still-unknown surrogate, created and then raised a child of their joined DNA. They were both devoted and involved parents, never letting their professions hinder them from being there for the important milestones of their daughter's life. 

As the two men grew older, both having retired from their respective professions, they had settled into a life filled with philanthropic endeavors. They both had aged gracefully -- the younger man's onyx hair now streaked with grey, a slight limp to his gait -- the elder partner's face now crinkled with fine lines, his right hand lost to a bout with cancer. It was on their way to one of their latest humanitarian campaigns that their private jet crashed, leaving no survivors. At the ages of seventy, and seventy-six, respectively, Clark and Lex Kent-Luthor had passed on from this world to the next. 

* * *

The minister pressed two lavender roses into Lena Kent-Luthor Davis' hand, one from the floral spray that adorned each casket. She nodded her head stoically in thanks to the clergyman before glancing briefly at the oak tree across the expansive grounds, her lips twitching for only a second. Her momentary distraction was quickly curtailed, however, by the sounds of her own teenaged daughter and son's sobs. She turned to comfort the two even as her husband assisted both Lena and their children to their feet, gently encouraging them away from the site. 

Taking this as their cue, the crowd began to disperse, heading toward their respective vehicles even as the cemetery workers finished securing and sealing the heavy marble doors of the crypt. 

Once the workers had completed their task, and the cemetery was again quiet, save for the sounds of the birds twittering in the trees, two men, who up until now had been shrouded in the shade of the large oak tree that Lena had peered at earlier, stepped out of the shadows and toward the tomb. 

The taller and younger of the pair, pushed back the hood of his winter coat and ran his fingers through his once-again jet-black hair to fluff it before reaching his hand forward to trace several of the etched letters in the stone even as he read aloud the inscription. 

"Alexander Joseph Kent-Luthor and Clark Jerome Kent-Luthor -- born, blah blah -- died, blah blah -- friends, lovers, and life-long partners -- their love was the stuff of destiny." 

"It really was a beautiful service," his slightly older, bald companion offered, his face as flawless as it had been when he had been in his twenties, chuckling as he recalled something that had happened during the memorial service. "Can you believe Lois' eulogy? Best friends with both of us my ass." 

The dark-haired man grinned. "It was a stretch to claim she liked _me_ , but everyone knows she hated your guts." 

Lex Kent-Luthor, for it was indeed him, chuckled softly. "I thought Lena was going to fry her with her heat vision." 

His friend, partner, lover, and husband, Clark Kent-Luthor nodded and grinned. "Yep, that's our girl." Suddenly sobering, he pulled Lex into a rough embrace. "I'm going to miss her, Lex. And the kids. It seems like just yesterday that I was giving birth to her." 

Lex soothed Clark, his hands reaching up to frame his husband's face, his fingers running through Clark's lush hair. "Hey, she knew it was time just as much as we did. It's the only secret we ever kept from the world. The world is barely ready for an alien with an unknown life expectancy. They sure weren't ready to know that my mutations have given me the same longevity. And staying any longer would have definitely given away that you were Superman." 

Moving back a bit so that he could stare into the gorgeous green eyes he loved so much, now unencumbered by the ridiculous glasses Clark had been forced to wear for so long as a part of his guise, Lex continued. "Clark, Lena has her daddy's powers. Once we get settled somewhere into another life, she can fly over and visit us anytime, and she'll explain everything to her husband and the kids tonight. They can email us or call anytime as well. Not to mention the fact that I'm sure Superman plans on keeping up his patrols in Metropolis. If he happens to zip us into the Davis household for a visit every now and again, I'm sure no one will ever be the wiser." 

Clark nodded and sighed, kissing Lex's lips tenderly. "True. At least we won't have to keep up the pretense of looking old anymore. Ugh. I hated that. It was so weird seeing you looking like an old man during the day, and then at night seeing my gorgeous Lex." 

"Hmph," Lex huffed, "I was gorgeous even when I _did_ look old." He rolled his eyes, scowling playfully at Clark's lack of agreement. "So, where to, old man?" he taunted. 

"I thought you already had everything set?" Clark inquired, unwrapping his arms from around Lex long enough to entwine their fingers. Slowly, the two began walking toward the nearby cemetery gate. 

"I do, but you have three choices," Lex tossed out innocently. "So... Sydney, Dublin, or Athens?" 

"Which one has the best nightclubs?" Clark asked with a grin. 

Lex smiled slyly. "I've taught you so well, Clark," he answered approvingly. "Sydney, most definitely." 

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go start this new life of ours." Clark opened the gate of the cemetery, and motioned for Lex to precede him. "Age before beauty." 

"I never did understand that. What happens if you're both?" Lex quipped. 

"You just shut up and say 'thank you' or you run the risk that your husband won't pound you into the mattress tonight." 

"Shutting up," Lex replied, pulling Clark behind him as he passed through the wrought iron gate. "Come on. Let's ditch the rental car at the hotel. Lena can get someone to return it tomorrow. You can fly us to Sydney. Since you won't use your powers to take over the world, I have to at least reap _some_ benefit from them." 

The laughter of the two men, each chronologically older than seventy earth years, but neither looking a day over thirty, echoed through the quiet cemetery as they flew away, leaving their empty coffins and their past lives behind for an uncertain and exciting future together. 


End file.
